Screw The Cullens, I'm A Mikaelson
by OmegaDirewolf
Summary: Different from the moment she was born, the unplanned twin of the newly mated/wed Edward and Bella Cullen, sets out to carve her own path in the world- but when that path leads her away from her soulmate and into the arms of a ruthless vampire, she must hold on for her dear half life.
1. First Born

Today is the day.

The day when she would be freed from her cramped confinement.

Bright light pierced her mother's womb- bright enough to blind her behind her closed eyelids. Large hands reached into the bloody cavern and pulled her from within. At the slightest nudge, her sister cried out, and there were gasps as the people around them realized there were two children within Bella's womb.

"There's two of them!," a voice cried. "Rosalie take the first one!"

The first born child was handed off to a pale, blonde woman, who held her close and wiped at her bloody face with a soft cloth.

The second child was pulled from the human mother's womb- "Renesmee," the father whispered, and the first child's face screwed up in disgust.

The second child- Renesmee- as she was now named- was handed to a tiny, black haired woman, who gently cleaned at her face as well. Both children were then taken to a seperate room to be cleaned and dressed- oblivious to the fact that the first child, hadn't been named, and she wasn't the least bit fond of that fact.

By the time Renesmee and the first born were clean of there mother's blood, the eldest child had already been famaliarized with the family she was born into. She identified the women - Alice, Rosalie and Esme - and the men - Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle - but she had yet to meet her own mother and father.

But what irked the first born more, was that no one seemed to fawn over her like they did her little sister. Likely because Reneesme looked just like her mother as her family liked to say, over and over.

The first born and Renesmee's eyes were wide open by this point- and where the first born had inky blue irises, Renesmee had chocolate brown. And where Renesmee had a tuft of brown curls on her head, the first born had a reddish brown tuft. And while the first born was capable of intellectual thought, Renesmee had a power- the power to relay images from her mind to another's by simple touch. While the first born was impressed - she couldn't help but be jealous too - not just because Renesmee had a power - oh no, the first born just knew that she'd get one too later on - but no, she was jealous because Renesmee used that power to be fed. Meanwhile, the first born was left with a cranky attitude and an aching stomach in the arms of the man she identified as Emmett.

The first born figured that eventually the rest of her family would recall that she was there and feed her as well - or at least acknowledge her too. But that thought certainly went flying out the door when an inconceivably horrid smell flood her nostrils and a young, tan-skinned man marched into the living room they were gathered in.

The young man's eyes widened, alternating between looking at the first born and Renesmee before finally settling on the youngest and falling to his knees. The young man imprinted- and the first born couldn't fucking believe it.

Suddenly, a pale young man and woman entered the room as well, and almost immediately all hell broke loose.

* * *

"You imprinted on my daughter?!" the pale, red-eyed woman screamed in a ferocious rage.

Before the tan young man could even respond, he was thrown through the double doors that led out into a forest.

"Bella, it wasn't my choice!" he panted, struggling to his feet.

"She's a baby!"

"It's not like that! I swear!" he pleaded.

"I've haven't even held her once, Jacob! Not one time! And already you think you can make some moronic wolfie claim on her?! She's mine," Bella screamed, shoving him once more into a tree.

"At least he didn't imprint on both of them," Emmett murmured, gazing down at the first born in his arms, who silently watched the scene unfold.

"B- both?" Bella muttered, spinning around to see that there were in fact two babies. One was squirming in the arms of Rosalie, and the other watched her intently from the arms of Emmett.

Bella turned to her mate and husband, eyes wide as he smiled tenderly towards her. He took the baby from Rosalie and stepped towards her. "Bella, this is our daughter, Renesmee..."

Bella smiled in awe at the brown haired baby, taking her tenderly in her arms. "She's gorgeous," she murmured before being overwhelmed with images of her own face and Edward's as the babe touched her cheek. "She has powers?!"

Edward nodded, having collected the information from the minds of his family. "Yes, Bella. Our daughter is gifted," he murmured gently, admiring the sight of his creation in the arms of his wife.

I'm your daughter too you bastard...

That quiet thought snapped Edward from his fond gazing and he turned with a frown. "Who said that?"

I did...

"Said what, Edward?" asked Carlisle, brow furrowed.

"Someone called me a bastard- said they were my dau...ghter...too..." his and everyone else's gaze turned to the baby snuggled in Emmett's arms.

The blue eyed babe stared back intently at her father. Hello, Father.

Edward's eyes widened and he crept closer. "You... You can form intellectual thought...?"

Yes, the first born blinked slowing, nodding her tiny head a bit.

"B-but how...?"

"Edward, what's going on?" Bella asked, brow furrowed and gazing at her other baby.

"The baby - she can think - as in, actually form a literate thought." A crooked smile graced his face.

Yes, I can, Edward.

"You don't have to call me Edward- I'm your father - you can call me Dad," he offered.

I'd rather not... The baby's brow furrowed.

Edward's did too. "Why not?"

I'm uncomfortable giving such an endearing name to a man who couldn't care less about me...

Edward's browed furrowed even further. "Why would you think that?"

What's my name, Edward? Tell me...

"I-It's - It's-..." he frowned, looking around to the intrigued faces of his family as they tried to decipher the conversation and he tried to find the first born's name in their minds- but he came up short. "I- I don't- know..."

Exactly, Edward.

He let out a defeated sigh.

"Edward what's going on?" Bella mumbled, gently stroking Renesmee's face.

"I- she- she doesn't want me for a father," he murmured, browed furrowed deeply as everyome gasped.

Bella frowned, looking at the baby in her friend's arms. "What? Why?"

"Because I didn't know her name..."

"Her name? Didn't you name her?"

No, he didn't...

"No," he murmured.

"Well, it makes sense- we didn't know there'd be another one so we didn't have a name for the second baby!"

Another one..? Second..!? I was the first- you stupid b-

"Hey! I get that your mad but you have no right thinking that way of your mother!"

Mother is too endearing a term.

Everyone looked upon the scene wide-eyed.

"What is your problem?" Edward snarled, surprising himself a bit that he would talk to his own child this way.

My problem is that we were born two hours and so far my little sister has been the only one fed, coddled, and named! I'm starving you, bastard!

"She hasn't been fed..?" Edward murmured.

"Oh! Well, she hasn't really made a sound since she was changed and figured she was...okay..," Alice offered.

"I'll feed her," Emmett volunteered, already stepping inside to grab a bottle of milk with a small smile.

"No, wait! I wanna feed her," Bella smiled, handing Renesmee over to Edward, the baby giving a slight whine.

No...

The red-eyed woman neared her child and the baby squirmed further into Emmett's arms.

"Come here baby," she cooed.

No... The baby began to scream.

Emmett turned the child away from her.

"Em, what are you doing?" Bella asked.

"She doesn't want you," he frowned.

"What? Emmett, give me my baby!"

"No," he snarled suddenly.

The family grew on the defensive. "Emmett, give her her child..." Carlisle said slowly.

"No," he snarled ferociously. "Artemis doesn't want her!"

"Artemis?"

Yes, Artemis...

"Are you doing this?" questioned Edward, looking the first born in the eyes. The rest of the family looked at Emmett in bewilderment.

The baby didn't respond, simply stared back with a look of affirmative in her eyes.

Alice gasped and pointed towards the baby's hand on Emmett's forearm, lightly glowing blue veins emanating from beneath her tiny palm.

"She can mind control..." Jasper whispered- the first words he'd said all day.

"Baby-"

"Artemis," Emmett snarled for her.

"A-Artemis, I just want to hold you."

No...

"She said no," Edward mumbled.

Bella frowned- her patience wearing thin. "Artemis-"

"She said no!" Emmett snarled.

"Fine! Keep the damn kid!" Bella screamed, breathing heavily.

"Gladly!" Emmett yelled back, voice back to normal and blue veins from Artemis gone.

"Bella!" "Emmett!" The family yelled.

"Edward, I can't-!" "Rosalie, think about it! Our own kid!" They yelled at the same time.

Artemis whined a bit, opening her mouth wide to express her hunger. Emmett remembered what he intended to do and walked over to the kitchen, tugging a stunned Rosalie along.

"Think about it, babe! This is what you always wanted! A chance to raise a child together!"

"Yeah, Em, but I meant my own! Not the rejected child of Edward and Bella!"

Bitch...

"Don't call her that," Emmett frowned.

"Well its true! Not to mention that she seems to have a mean streak already as an infant- and that she can control people!"

"I was aware during all of that, you know? I knew what she was doing and I was okay with it. I want to raise her, Rosalie. With or without- but I would prefer to do it with."

He looked at her with hopeful eyes and she sighed, rubbing her eyes before walking over to the fridge. Pulling out a blood bag, she poured some in a spare baby bottle and walked back over to Emmett.

"She looks a lot more paler than Renesmee, so I'm guessing she'd prefer blood over milk," she murmured, twisting the nipple on the baby bottle.

Artemis gave a toothless giggle, making them both smile as she began to drink happily.

"Artemis Hale Cullen... How does that sound?" he murmured.

"Perfect."


	2. Trial

"Are we going to die tomorrow?"

Emmett looked up at the 7-year-old-looking girl in his arms. She held a stoic face, but her inky blue eyes gleamed with childlike fear. He furrowed his brow. "No, baby, why would you think that?"

"Alice and Jasper left... I'm assuming she knew of the coming danger and decided to flee while they still could..."

"Now, Artemis, I don't know why Al and Jas decided to bail but I know that they'd never abandon us in the face of danger." He gave her a reassuring smile, walking towards the tent set up next to her sister's.

"Why wouldn't they," Artemis mumbled. "Bella arranged so that Renesmee and her mate could flee- Alice must have given them a heads up..."

"Artemis, stop that. We're a family- we'd never abandon each other." He got inside the tent and set the red haired girl down. "Now, it's time you rested a bit, okay? The final hour is coming up, and I want you top notch if something goes down, alright?"

Artemis nodded, stifling a yawn. "Alright. Goodnight, Dad," she mumbled, slipping into her sleeping bag.

"Night, Sweetheart," he murmured, exiting the tent to find his mate.

A few hours later, and Artemis was clinging to Rosalie's leg, hiding behind her and Emmett while Reneesme did the same with Bella. Rosalie comfortingly stroked Artemis' head. They stood among the 20+ witnesses that came out to prove to the Volturi that Edward and Bella hadn't created abominations.

"I can promise you, no laws have been broken," Carlisle called, standing ahead of the group of witnesses.

"We see the children," Caius called with a frowned on his porcelain face, "Do not treat us as fools.

"They are not immortal children-! These witnesses can attest to that. You can see the flush of human blood in her cheeks-"

"Artifice!" the blond Voltaire snarled.

"Calm, brother," Aro chastised with a wicked smile on his crimson lips. "I will collect every facet of the truth, but from someone more central to the story. Edward... as one of the children clings to your new-born mate, I assume you are involved..."

Edward looked to his wife and child, giving them a reassuring nodded before making his way calmly towards the raven haired Voltaire.

Artemis stared after her biological father, her piercing gaze following his every step until he stood before Aro with an outstretched hand. Aro grasped it eagerly, a slight giggle passing his lips as his powers allowed him to sift through Edward's mind and memories to collect all the information he needed.

Aro's eyes widened and snapped to meet Artemis' intense gaze. The corner of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly as his gaze returned to Edward. "I'd like to meet them," he said carefully, releasing Edward's hand.

Edward turned and looked towards Bella, nodding to her before doing the same to Emmett and Rosalie. Bella carefully set Renesmee on a transformed Jacob's back, walking alongside them towards them. Emmett and Artemis were not far behind, Artemis upon her dad's shoulders and Rosalie staying with the crowd.

"Ahhh... young Bella... Immortality becomes you," Aro murmured with a sickening smile, before erupting into a fit of girly giggles as his ears zoned in on Renesmee and Artemis' heartbeats.

"I hear their strange hearts," he giggled, looking towards Artemis. "Hers... It's slower..."

"She's more immortal than human," Edward explained carefully. "But she shows more control than Bella did when she was first turned."

Aro hummed thoughtly, extending his hand towards Renesmee and giving Edward a hopeful gaze. Edward nodded and Renesmee carefully climbed off her mate and gave Aro her hand.

"Hello," Renesmee murmured, before slipping her hand out of Aro's and placing it on his cheek. Images overwhelmed Aro's mind and his face held a look of mesmerization.

"Magnifico," Aro mumbled in awe. "And the other child? What of her powers?"

Artemis looked down to Emmett, her gaze shifting to her gloved hands. Gloves she was forced to wear by her biological mother in fear of her possibly controlling someone else like she had Emmett.

"May I, Emmett?" Aro asked, understanding that Emmett was the man raising the first born child of Edward and Bella.

Emmett nodded, slowly setting Artemis on the ground. The red haired girl approached Aro confidently, ripping off her glove and presenting her hand. The Voltaire smiled and grasped her hand, frowning when his powers brought nothing forth from her mind. He looked down at the young girl's smirking face, noticing a light blue glow out the bottom of his eye. Looking down, he saw his hands encased in blue glowing veins that sprouted from the girl's touch and reached his slender wrist.

"Increíble... I can't read her... Just like her mother..." Aro grinned, looking at Bella.

Artemis frowned, the blue veins quickly receeding back into her palm. Aro gave a sudden gasp as his mind was assaulted with fierce images of who Artemis repeatedly thought as her real mother: Rosalie.

The Voltaire gave what seemed to be an uneasy chuckle. "Perdona me, Artemis," he grinned. "I can't read you, like Bella."

"Only because I don't allow you to, Aro," Artemis said stoically, gently pulling her hand from Aro's grasp before returning to her dad, slipping her glove back on.

Aro gave the retreating child a quizzical look before turning around to address his army of faithful vampires that traveled with his and his brothers to pass judgement on the Cullen clan. "Half mortal, half immortal, and gifted," he called to his people. "Conceived and carried by this new-born, while she was still human, and inheriting gifts that pertain to that of her mate's," he finished, his gaze landing on Bella.

"Impossible!" Caius snarled, hands clenching.

Aro frowned. "Do you think they fooled me, brother?"

Bella and Edward carefully walked their little family away as the brothers challenged each other, Emmett and Artemis following suit.

"Even if they aren't immortal children, maintaining our secret has never been more imperative. In such perilous times, only the known is safe. Only the known is tolerable, and we know nothing of what these children will become. Can we live with such uncertainty? Spare ourselves a fight today, only to die tomorrow? For the first time in our history, humans pose a threat to our kind. Their modern technology has given birth to weapons that could destroy us. We musn't take that risk," Caius warned.

Aro seemed to contemplate his brother's words before the sound of two different pairs of feet reached his ears, trudging through the snowy landscape they were in. Everyone's gaze snapped to see Jasper and-

"Alice!" Aro squealed excitedly, hands clasped together and lips stretched into a wide smile.

"They came back," Artemis smiled up to Emmett.

"I told you, Sweetheart," he grinned, patting her head lovingly.

Jasper and Alice approached the Voltaire crowd quickly, their rush causing two of Aro's gaurds to step in their way suspiciously.

"My dear, dear Alice," Aro grinned, arms outstretched and disregarding his gaurds. "We're so glad to see you here after all."

"I have evidence the children won't be a risk to our kind," Alice rushed to say, ignoring the pleasantries.

Aro narrowed his eyes.

"Let me show you," Alice pleaded, extending her hand past Aro's gaurds before he shooed them away.

Aro took Alice's hand with an eager grin and almost immediately it was wiped off his face at what he saw. He grew impossibly paler, and his eyes widened far.

"Brother..," Caius called in a suspicious tone.

"Now you know," Alice said in a warning tone. "That's your future, unless you decide on another course."

"We cannot alter our course," Caius stated. "The children still pose a grave threat."

"But if you were sure they would remain concealed from the human world? Could we leave in peace?" Alice pleaded.

Caius smirked. "Of course, but that cannot be known."

"Actually, it can," Jasper drawled, a smirk curling his lips.

Two figures emerged from the forest edge of the clearing and Artemis' ears zoned in on the same strange heartbeat she and her sister possessed- but stronger, and in the bare chest of a tall, tan man.

"I've been searching for witnesses of my own," Alice explained as the tan man and a woman approached. "I found them, among the Tekona tribes of Brazil."

"We have enough witnesses..." Caius seethed.

"Let him speak, brother," Aro snarled.

"My name, is Nahuel," the man said in a steady, low timbre. "I am half human, half vampire, like the children. A vampire seduced my mother...who died giving birth to me. My aunt, Huilen, raised me as her own. I made her immortal," he gestured towards the tan woman beside him.

"How old are you?!" Rosalie called almost desperately, the fear of Artemis and Renesmee's rapid growth rate and the possibility of losing her only chance of raising a child gripping her tight.

Nahuel turned with a reassuring smile and response, "A hundred and fifty years."

"At what age did you reach maturity?" Aro called back Nahuel's attention.

"I became full grown, seven years after my birth. I've not changed since then."

Rosalie's sigh of relief was nearly inaudible, Emmett wrapping his arm comfortingly around her shoulders and Artemis going back to hugging her leg.

"And your diet?" Aro continued his questioning.

"Blood, human food- I can survive on either."

"These children are much like us," the eldest Voltaire, Marcus, finally spoke.

"Regardless," Caius argued. "The Cullens have been consorting with werewolves, our natural enemies!"

Aro, shaken with fear of the vision Alice presented him with, turned slowly to address his brothers and followers. "Dear ones, there is no danger here. We will not fight today..."

Caius looked visibly crestfallen with anger but listened nonetheless, turning and quickly leaving with Marcus the rest of the Volturi's followers. Aro watched his people leave and turned to look at Alice, his gaze slowly shifting to meet the still intense gaze of Artemis and then Bella's.

"Such prizes," he murmured with a grin, before he too left in a rush of wind.

* * *

"We can finally live free? Like the people in my pop culture books?" Artemis asked, arms wrapped around Rosalie's neck as she carried her in the house.

"Yup!" Emmett grinned, wrapping his arms around Rosalie's waist and kissing Artemis' temple.

"When you look older, you can start school, too," Rosalie said lovingly.

"Awesome," Artemis murmured sleepily, dozing off on her mother's shoulder.


	3. Happy Birthday, Ya Bitch

Five years later and Artemis resembled a 17 year old. The Cullen family believed that now was a good time for the twin girls to start high school in the twelfth grade. Their last two years until reaching full maturity should be spent making friends and interacting with others before the family had to move away for while, were Carlisle's thoughts.

During the past five years, Renesmee got to know her mate better- of course, no intimacy of any kind was allowed until she fully matured. Edward promised to find out if Jacob tried anything and Jacob swore he never would. However, Jacob and Renesmee's meetings had to happen elsewhere - mainly, Bella and Edward's cottage - because as much as she tried, Artemis could not handle the stench that pierced the air whenever Jake was around and the foul smell made her extremely irritable.* That irritable mood caused a major strain between Artemis and the rest of the family - not to mention as well with the wolves. She lashed out at everyone- including her mom, dad and even Renesmee (with whom she held a nice bond) - but only her parents were able to look past her unintentional anger when she was around Jacob or anyone who had interacted with him or his pack. Only they did not hold it against her. Meanwhile, her strain with the wolves sprouted from accidently hurting the only female from the pack- Leah- while on a hunt.

* * *

Artemis had been stalking a whitetail buck when Leah came bounding past, making her rounds on her daily patrol, right when Artemis had pounced, teeth bared and hands ready to tear. When Artemis' body collided with Leah's, they were sent hurtling into the forest floor heavily, scaring away the buck. Artemis' hands had managed to claw themselves into Leah's side but once she recognized what she had hit, she immediately leapt away from the bleeding grey wolf. Artemis rushed to help the girl before a snarling black wolf stood between them. Without thinking, Artemis' hand had extended and she controlled the black wolf to back away. She then rushed back to Leah and willed her to revert her transformation. A naked bleeding girl laid beneath her then, and she ripped her long cardigan off to cover her with it. A shirtless Jacob then appeared, running to pick up his wounded pack mate before rushing off towards the Cullen house. A heavy hand had then landed on Artemis' shoulder, followed by: "You're lucky you're a Cullen- or you'd be dead." Sam had then ran off in his wolf form as Artemis squinted her eyes and clenched her bloody hands.

* * *

Since then, Artemis avoided any and all contact with Jake or the wolves, even though she really didn't know either of them personally. She had let the anger from Sam's threat stew within her. And that same anger reared its malicious head when Artemis' walked downstairs to the living room.

Having taken Edward's room, since he now lived in a cottage with his own family, Artemis had been able to catch a small waft of a foul stench. But as she strut down the stairs in heeled leather boots, the smell worsened. Jacob sat on the living room couch.

"What are you doing here?"

Jacob's head snapped up in surprise. Having not seen or spoken to Artemis in a long time, he hardly recognized her. The twin girls weren't so identical in the face anymore. "Artemis?"

"Who else, Stinkbomb?" Her face screwed up in disgust as she walked by the couch towards the kitchen. "Again, what are you doing here?"

Jacob sneered at the insulting nickname. "Well if you must know-"

"I live here S.B., I gotta know why your in my house and not at Renesmee's like usu-"

"As I was saying! I came to give you this." A medium sized package she hadn't noticed he'd been holding, was held out to her, a newspaper bow resting on top.

"What is that?"

"...A present... Ya know, cause it's your birthday...?" He shook the package a bit.

"I know, but why are you giving me a present?"

He heaved a heavy sigh. "Renesmee insisted I be nice and give you one, okay? Now here, take it."

Artemis raised a perfect red eyebrow, accepting the package with a half-smile. "Thanks, Stinkbomb..." She started to rip off the wrapping paper to what seemed to be a book. "This is actually my first present of...the...day..."

Eyes staring at the cover of the book, her heart sunk, before her face hardened. "One Hundred and One Ways Not to Be A Bitch. And Other Social Tips..."

Jacob stifled a laugh. "Do you like it?" he asked with a shit eating grin...

...before his nose was promptly broken by the sheer force of how hard Artemis threw it at his face.

"AAAWW! What the hell!?" As Jacob cradled a bleeding nose, Artemis dashed to the kitchen, pouring a blood bag into a white drinking bottle and dashing back to the living room. She grabbed her school bag and stormed out the front door just as Renesmee entered through the back.

"Jake?! Whats wrong!?" She heard her sister wail as she walked to the Cullen house garage.

Opening the garage, she was met with the sight of a gorgeous Dodge Challenger SRT. Its pristine black paint job and glossy black rims shined in what morning sunlight there was, the dual white racing stripes running down the middle standing out greatly- especially with dark tinted windows. A great big red bow rested on the roof of the car, with a giant tag saying, _Happy birthday, Sweetheart! Me and Mom are missing you! ❤_. Artemis grinned.

Just then, Renesmee rushed out of the house, immediately spotting her twin in front of the open garage. "Artemis, why did you break Jake's face!?"

Artemis snorted at her sister's exaggeration. "I wish I broke his face! Tell that smelly mutt of yours to shove that book up his ass."

"What book!?" Renesmee shrieked.

"Why don't you ask him!? It'll be the one with his blood and nose smudged on it!" With that, Artemis carefully took the bow off her new car and set it aside, hopping in as Renesmee stormed back inside.

The key hung from the rearview mirror and she eagerly retrieved it, sliding it into the ignition and firing her car up. The Hemi purred to life, tears nearly coming to her eyes from the sweet sound. She shift the gear into drive and sped off down the dirt road that led out the woods to the main freeway. A mile from her new school and her phone rang at a red light. Quickly unlocking her Samsung she pressed it to her ear.

"Hey Dad," she casually said, speeding off as the light turned green.

" _Hey, Sweetheart. How's it going?_ "

"Oh, just on my way to school."

Emmett's grin could be heard through the phone. " _I'm guessing you got our present?_ "

"Hell yeah I did! Dad, this car it amazing! When did you get it delivered out here without me knowing!?"

" _Oh, I have my ways_ -" a smack was heard through the phone followed by a groan of pain. _"Okay, your mom has ways. She says Hi by the way._ "

"Hi, Mom!"

" _Hi Baby! Have a nice first day!_ "

"Okay, thanks! Say, Dad...," she suddenly drawled, already parking in the Forks High School parking lot. She could practically feel the stares from all the surrounding students by their own cars. Artemis was mentally baggering her parents with millions of hugs and thank you's for the near black tinted windows of her car.

" _Whats up, Sweetie_ ," Emmett pressed.

Artemis sighed, killing the engine. "When are you and mom coming back from your- what is it- 100th honeymoon?"

Emmett chuckled. " _Its actually 20th- and we'll be back from Cabo soon... Why do you ask?_ "

"Oh, nothing- it's just- I just-"

" _Sweetie? Everything okay?_ " Concern laced his words and Artemis could just make out her mother quietly asking what was going on.

"Yeah, it's just- you know how I don't like being around them all the time..."

" _ **Them** being... The family..?_ "

"Yeah..."

" _Artemis, we've been over this- they're your family-"_

"I know they're my family! I know I should love and appreciate them all, just like you told me! But goddammit, Dad, they just don't feel the same way about me!"

" _Arte-_ "

"Dad you may not see it, but I do! The heated stares, the not-so-hidden sneers, the straight up yelling at! They hate me! I try to get over my irritance from the wolves' stench but I can't! They all genuinely think I'm a bitch! So much so that they're giving me books on how not to be one!" By the end of her rant, Artemis voice had cracked, tears barely held a bay.

" _Who's giving you these books, Artemis?_ " Emmett asked calmly, though there was an intense rage burning inside him and he was mentally cursing himself for not being there for his little girl.

"Jacob," Artemis croaked, wiping her eyes with grey long sleeve she wore, careful not to ruin her winged eyeliner and mascara. "He said it was a birthday present- it was called: _One Hundred and One Ways Not to Be A Bitch. And Other Social Tips..._ \- you know, it would've been funny if- if- ugh, who am I kidding, it wasn't funny at all, Dad." She played with a seam thread of her faded black jeans.

" _Please tell me you killed the jackass,_ " Emmett grit through his teeth.

Artemis snorted. "No, but I broke his pathetic snout. There was blood and everything- all over the book he gave me... I threw that fucker at his stupid grinning face." A small smirk curling her rouge painted lips.

" _That's my girl_!"

Artemis sighed happily. "Well Dad, I've gotta go get my schedule now, okay? I'll call you later on."

" _Alright Toughstuff, have a nice first day._ "

"Thanks Dad, have fun with Mom! See you soon!"

" _See you Sweetie!_ " Rosalie shouted before the line cut off.

Taking a deep breath, Artemis gathered her bag and blood bottle and checked her eye make up. Mentally schooling herself, she prepared for her first real school day other than homeschool with her sister.

" _Let's get this bitch over with_."

She opened the car door.

* * *

 *** Artemis' little attitude in First Born, explained!...sort of**


	4. Fuck Off, Mutt-lover

A small, black, lace up boot slid out of the parked, black Challenger, followed by a slender leg clad in faded black jeans. The girl that slid out after blew everyone away.

 _Who was this girl?_

 _Where did she come from?_

 _Why had no one ever seen her around before?_

Artemis kept her head held high as she walked past the gawking students in the parking lot, carefully beelining it to school's front entrance. She made it there easy enough, only recieving more stares and some reproachful looks from a group of girls who held a tremendous aura of confidence.

There were signs that led to a list of names and what their first periods would be. Next to the lists were small maps, numbering and lettering the buildings of the school. Artemis' first class was dudded AP Chem in L310.

Checking her phone, she figured she could walk around for 10 minutes and leave the last ten to finding the building she needed to go to. Taking a sip from her water bottle, she quickly scanned the hall she was in and walked past the group of girls again to the parking lot. The moment she stepped out, a voice like sparkling water in a river called out-

" _Artemis_!"

Which was met with a frown and a voice like a hurricane-

" _ **What!?**_ "

The people around the front entrance of the school stared openly as a girl in blue jeans stormed over to the girl in black ones, heaving out a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry for what Jake did-"

"Don't apologize for him, Renesmee- he can speak on his own! If he really wants to apologize, he can do it face to face, where I can give a suckerpunch and then accept his apology."

"Arty, it was just a joke-"

"That was not a joke! That was adding insult to injury! That hurt Renee, and I'ma give him hell until he apologizes for it!"

Renesmee sighed, looking away from her sister to see everyone staring at them. Quickly taking her sister's hand and leading her into the building. A quick search led them to the bathroom where Renesmee finally turned to look at Artemis. "Look, Arty, in all honesty, you kinda deserve it-"

"Deserve it!?"

"Yes! You're always bitchy, and rude when he's around! I don't know if you don't like him or if your just doing it to get attention- but I don't appreciate you trying to get at my m- boyfriend!"

"Get at your- Are you fucking insane!?" A girl that had exited a stall to wash her hands, jumped at the intensity of her voice before rushing out the bathroom. "I don't want your fucking mate, Rensemee! I've told you why I get like that around him and for you to think there's some ulterior motive is fucking low! I do hate him! Because I'm honestly not okay with my sister getting fucked by some dog-!"

Skin smacking skin echoed in the stunned silence of the bathroom. Horrified brown eyes met cold blue ones. A rough pale hand wrapped around a slender throat and Artemis pinned Renesmee against the bathroom wall.

"Ever!" she growled. "Slap me again, and the next mutt I accidently maul will be yours- and I'll leave it out in the woods to rot, Nessie." Renesmee's eyes watered. "Your my sister, and I love you- but I will not hesitate to kill that bastard, got it, Mutt-lover?"

Artemis felt her gulp against her hand before Renesmee shakily nodded. She sighed, slowly releasing her sister, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm sorry, Nessie... But you have to understand that what he did really hurt me... And you can't save him from the possible consequences..."

Renesmee held her sister tight, like it was for the last time. "It's okay," she croaked. "Just please try to forgive him, Arty- I can't lose him..."

Artemis sighed, pressing her mouth into the grey cardigan her sister wore over a faded red shirt. "I'll try..." she mumbled.

Finding her first period class was a piece of cake. Letting go of what occured with her sister, wasn't.

The conversation kept playing itself over and over in Artemis' head- she knew the same was occuring with her sister. She knew that conversation would bear consequences when she got home- what with her mind-reading biological father always around. She could just imagine the type of shit she would get from Bella.

Artemis sighed, stepping into her still empty class and taking a seat at the very back, so as to know if anyone would be staring at her. Other students began to file in, some in groups or pairs, others by their lonesome like her- but all giving her curious glances because no one seemed to know where she was from.

"Alright class!" called a tall, dark skinned man as he strode into class, flicking the cap off a dry-erase marker and writing his name on the board. "I, am Mr. Bayang- yes! It is an Asian surname! Yes, I am African-American and Asian-American! No, I do not eat rice everyday or drink hot sake every night! Now- Roll call!" He picked up an iPad, encased in a soft jelly, and hard shell combo case, and started to belt out the names of the students that were supposed to be in his class. Every response of 'here', was met with a smile and a 'good morning'. As he called out role, a T.A. passed the students their schedules, using a stamp to put the teacher's signature in the designated slot.

"Artemis Cullen?"

Her left eye twitched a little. "It's Hale," she corrected politely. "I don't go by that last name..."

"Alright," Mr. Bayang answered kindly, "Well, good morning, Miss Artemis Hale."

"Good morning, Mr. B," she mumbled out with a small smile, accepting her schedule from the brown-haired girl with glasses.

He continued on with the role call. "Jace Coy? ...Jace? No, Jace? Okay..."

"Wait! Wait! I'm here! I'm-" The black haired boy who burst through the classroom door leaned against it's frame, attempting to catch his breath.

"Mr. Coy, good morning. Nice of you to join us before it got too late. Please, take a seat- either next to Mr. Bañales, or Ms. Hale."

The boy nodded, straightening up and adjusting his backpack as he approached the table-sharing seat next to Artemis. She quickly removed her bag from his seat, setting it in front of herself on the table as he got his schedule from the girl.

"Hi," he whispered as he sat down, offering a small smile.

"Hey," she mumbled back, returning the smile and giving a small glance.

He brushed away some black hair that got into his eyes, stuffing them under the lip of the black beanie he wore. He sent her a small smile before digging around his bag and pulling out a small notebook and pen.

The roll call ended soon enough, the teacher explaining that there wouldn't be enough time to officially start anything on the first day of school seeing as how they had all classes that day and regularly had block. So, he suggested everyone got to know the person sitting next them since they would be their chem partners all year long unless he said otherwise. "The last twenty minutes of class, are all yours people," he said, before sitting at his desk and messing around with the school issued iPad.

Artemis nibbled on her lip, not sure what to do since her partner seemed to be extremely focused on doodling in his notebook. She sighed lightly, checking her phone for any texts- social media wasn't really her thing. She sighed again as she came with nothing.

The T.A. walked up to her table, giving her a smile before smacking Jace on the back of his head.

"H- hey! Jonesy!" He whisper-shouted, rubbing his head and forehead where he was smacked and smacked the table, respectively. The teacher barely noticed since the room was loud with murmurs of students getting to know each other.

"Don't Jonesy me, you dillhole! Talk to her!" She demanded, hands on her narrowed, jean and belt clad hips.

Artemis' head snapped up to look at her from where she was staring at her boots. "Oh no- It's okay-!"

"No it's not! This guy has been dying to figure out who you were since we saw you in the parking lot! And now that he has a chance, he's waisting it!" Jonesy laughed.

"Jonesy! Shut up!" Jace cried desperately, a blush overcoming his pale cheekbones. He tugged on his grey v-neck, giving Artemis a nervous smile, who was blushing as well. "H- hey- I'm- I'm Jace! But- you already know that- Don't you?"

Artemis smiled at his stuttered hello, taking a sip from her water bottle since his rapid pulse was driving her near rabid. She thanked the gods she got human blue eyes and not the glowing golden/red ones she was suppose to have. "Yeah, I do," she drawled. "I saw your little entrance at during roll call."

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah... Couldn't find the damn class," he mumbled, eyes snapping up to meet hers again. "What's your name again?"

She smiled, glancing at his notebook. "My name's Artemis."

"Cool name," he said with a grin.

"Cool drawing," Artemis grinned back, catching sight of an intense looking wolf drawing.

"Oh, uh, thanks," he grinned nervously, moving it more towards her, hardly noticing as Jonesy walked away, proud of herself. "It's a direwolf."

"Oh! Like the ones in Game of Thrones!"

"Yeah! Exactly!" He wiped his sweaty palms om his dark jeans. "You watch GoT?"

"Not all the time, but I catch up on what I missed during the weekends."

He nodded his head in understanding, his misty-grey eyes drifting over to their schedules that lay on the desk. "Say, what are your classes?"

Artemis' head snapped up, eyes tearing away from the beautiful drawings in his book. "Oh! Lets see- Pre-Calc...is my second period... Then, U.S. History, AP English, Italian 1, and Drawing 1... You?"

"Hmmm... I have you for History and Drawing...Oh! And Italian, too! Do you wanna...maybe...walk together-? I'm assuming you're new to this school right? I could show you around- I mean, I haven't seen you around before, so..."

"Yeah, I am- just got out of homeschooling."

"Oh! Well yeah, if you want-" The bell gave a shrill ring and everyone began to file into the hall.

"Yeah," Artemis grinned, taking a sip of her bottle again. "I think that'd be a good idea."

Jace grinned, stuffing his things in his backpack and motioning for Artemis to walk beside him. The next periods flew by with idle chatter when allowed and some light note taking of the needed materials. Before they knew it, they were headed out to brunch side by side.

"So... Got any siblings?"

Artemis bit her lip at the question. "Um...a sister- fraternal twin, actually."

"Oh! Really? Does she go here, too? I didn't see her come out your car with you- Jesus, that sounded creepy-"

"No- yeah- um... We're sisters biologically but, we have different parents."

"Oh, so you guys were adopted and got lucky enough to find each other?"

"No, not exactly... I was adopted- she stayed with our biological parents..."

Jace's face screwed up in confusion. "Wait- what?"

Artemis gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, um... My mother and father weren't expecting two children so they kinda- uh, my aunt and uncle couldn't have kids so they- I was adopted by them- my blood parents got their one kid, my parents got the one they could never have, and I got a very confusing family," she mildly lied, leaving out the snarls, growls and screaming.

Jace's face was one of astonishment. "Wow, that's... Cool..."

"Yeah- anyways! How about you? Any brother's and sisters?" she gave him a wide-eyed look, jumping at a chance to push the subject off herself.

He half smiled. "Yeah... A little sister, Jaidie. Little punk if you ask me but I love the sucker to death. Her and my mom are the only family I have." His eyes got a far away look and Artemis smiled, placing a hand on his arm.

Her touch brought him back to the present, just in time to spot his friends and drag her to them. "You should meet my friends! They're great people," he grinned, getting a wide-eyed look from Artemis.

"Hey guys!" He called to his friends as they approached them where they were sitting around a well of a tree.

They were greeted by handful of warm hello's. "This is Artemis- she's new here," Jace introduced. "Artemis, the twins are Rick and Mark Rothwell; Mark's the jock-"

"Hey!" Mark called with a grin and and a chuckle. "I prefer the term, athlete! Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome, Jock," Jace teased, getting a football lightly thrown at him by the Varsity jacket wearing athlete. "Anyways, tall, blonde, and gorgeous," he said with air quotes and a grin, "Is Sara Sanchez."

"Hi," she called around a mouthful of school breakfast burrito, making Artemis snort and give a similar greeting.

"And, you already Jonesy," he finished, digging around his bag and pulling out a bag of chips.

"Hello, everyone," Artemis mumbled with an awkward wave. Everyone called a hello back.

"So Artemis, got any plans for after school?" Rick asked, munching on some salad as Artemis took a seat on the floor in front of them with Jace, on the grass.

"Hmm... Not really, why? Is there like a first day of school party?" She took a gulp of her bottle again, licking at her teeth in case the blood left red residue.

Mark chuckled. "Not exactly. We're just going out to the beach- ya know, have some fun." He gave Sara a wink, who proceeded to giggle behind her hand.

"Wanna come, Artemis?" Jonesy asked, Jace giving her a hopeful look.

"Well... I don't really own a swimsuit..." That was actually not a lie. She was barely let out of the house before so she'd never seen a body of water larger than the treaty line river.

"Ooh! I have a swim suit my mom bought me- but it didn't fit me in the chest area-" she gave a sidelong glance to Rick "-you can have it if it fits you," Sara offered with a smile.

Artemis smiled. "Sure, I'll just drop my things off at my house and grab my towel before meeting you there."

"Sweet!" Jace exclaimed, just as the bell warning bell rang. "We'll see at La Push after school then?"

Artemis eyes widened. Shit, the reservation beach. "Uh... Yeah... Yeah I'll see you there," she said with a nervous smile.

"Awesome." Standing up with her, he pulled her into a surprising hug, Artemis inhaling his scent from his tall, lean body against her own.

He pulled back, giving her smile and a goodbye as he ran off to his fourth period class, leaving Artemis to find her own and ponder her decision of going to the reservation beach.

" _This is gonna bite me in the ass somehow_ ," she thought, dashing to the building her English class was supposed to be in.


	5. You're A Bad Matchmaker

"So... How'd you like your first day at Forks High?" Jace asked, brushing hair out of his face and giving Artemis a side-long glance.

Artemis gave a mildly strained smile. "Oh, uh...it was great! Yeah..." She let out a long exhale and held her breath as a girl walked by, flipping her hair as she went, and her scent sparking Artemis' taste buds.

Having finished her blood bottle about an hour ago, Artemis was near delirious with hunger. Unlike her sister, Artemis depended heavily on blood, getting extremely violent if she went more than three hours without at least a sip. Now, having just sat in a class full of blood-pumping humans for an hour, and now brushing past and against a multitude of blood-pumping people, she was practically dying.

"Are you...okay? You look feverish," Jace mumbled in a concerned tone, attempting to press his hand against her forehead.

Artemis quickly dodged it, wiping her brow with her sleeve. "No, I'm- I'm fine. I just- need to find Renesmee..." She casually sped up her pace.

"R- Renesmee?" Jace asked, trying to keep pace with her.

"My sister," she panted, placing a hand over her mouth and nose. "I'll see you at the beach!" she called, running off at a human pace, much to her chargin.

"Uh- okay!" he called after her, a confused look on his face before he met up with Rick at his locker.

Artemis ran down the hallway, shoving past people and racing to the parking lot as fast as she could without attracting too much attention. Her car beeped as she unlocked it with the key controls, allowing her to swing the driver door open and jump into her car. She hastily pulled out her phone, tapping away at the screen until she had Renesmee on the line.

"Hello?"

"Ness," she ground out into the reciever. "My car. Now-"

"Why? Whats wrong?" Artenis could detect some concern in her sister's voice.

"Blood- Nessie, I need blood." A pain-laced groan escaped her.

"Okay- okay. I'll be there in a second-"

Artemis hung up the phone, throwing it into her bag and throwing the bag into the backseat. She shut her eyes, covering her mouth and nose again, trying to concentrate her hearing on the soft rustle of her own hair and slow beating of her own heart, rather than those of the humans outside.

Her passenger side door burst open, followed by a head of brown hair poking in. "Arty, I think I should drive," Renesmee voiced, stuffing her bag into the back as well.

Artemis nodded, tossing her the keys and maneuvering over the center console of her car into the passenger seat. Renesmee settled into the driver's seat, starting up the car.

"Nice car," she commented, carefully speeding out of the school parking lot and towards the Cullen house.

Artemis could finally breathe, being far away enough from possible victims on the open freeway.

"What happened?" Renesmee asked as Artemis leaned her head against the window.

"Ran out of blood," she mumbled. "I had a guy next to me all day- giving me hugs and brushing my hand- I kept drinking my blood bottle to keep the cravings at bay but I was drinking too much in a small while."

Renesmee grimaced. "You'll have to carry an extra blood bag in the car if you wanna keep safe your friends safe. Two, just in case."

Artemis groaned in affirmative, heaving a sigh.

"So..." Renesmee continued, a slow smile coming to her lips. "A guy, hu?"

Artemis groaned again. "Don't start-"

"Start what?" Renesmee laughed, stopping at a red light.

"The whole matchmaking thing, Ness- you suck."

Renesmee guffawed in disagreement. "No I don't-!"

"Nah, you're right, you don't-"

"Thank you!"

"If you don't count the times you tried to get me to go on a date with the wolves- which is every time!"

Renesmee rolled her eyes, pulling up into the Cullen driveway and shutting off the car. "Okay, well that was before I took you seriously about the whole "stench" thing."

Artemis hummed, sliding out of her car and catching her keys as Renesmee tossed them to her. "Yeah, can't believe it took you five tries to understand that- you even tried to set me up with Leah!"

"I thought you just had a thing against guys!" Artemis snorted at her. "But thank God I stopped at five right? If you would've met the last guy and commented on the whole stench thing, you would've ripped each other to pieces!"

Artemis brow furrowed. "Why d'ya say that?" She unlocked the front door of the house after retrieving their bags and locking the car.

"Well, I mean, that boy has a temper on him that'll rival yours when your around Jake."

Artemis snorted. "As if anyone could compete with my temp-"

"Oh! Hi Jake!" Her sister interrupted.

Artemis' mood immediately dampened, before her nose picked up on a scent sweet enough to overcome Jake's horrible stench. Her senses led her towards the heartbeat in the kitchen, where she came upon a very shirtless back of a very shirtless guy, sticking his head in her side of the fridge.

"Unless you're me, I suggest you back away from my side of the fridge," she warned.

The boys head popped up, spinning around to face Artemis with a spoon hanging from his mouth and a cup of vanilla pudding in his hands.

Artemis' eyes narrowed in on the pudding cup. "Son of a bitch, that's my pudd-"

"What did you just call me?" The boy asked with a frown.

"A son of a bitch!" she yelled, shoving past his still-very-shirtless frame to grab a blood bag from the back panel of the fridge.

"Look, I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but no one-"

"Who I think I am? Boy, I live here!" She turned around, meeting his eyes as she sunk her teeth into the soft plastic of the blood bag, taking a few greedy gulps before proceeding to take out her water bottle and filling it. "Who are you anyway?" she asked, licking her lips and teeth, grabbing a napkin to clean her chin.

The boy didn't answer, staring at her with wide-eyes and the spoon in his slack-jawed mouth barely hanging on to the tip of his tongue.

Artemis arched a confused brow. "Hey Stinkbomb," she called, hearing lips unlocking as he answered with a what. "Is this your friend in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, why?" He stood up, pulling Renesmee along with him towards the kitchen.

"'Cause I think I might've broken him," she mumbled, opening the tube of another blood bag and pouring it into a spare bottle.

"What'd'ya mean, broken- Paul!?" Jake stared wide-eyed at his friend's expression.

"Who is she?" Paul asked in a low voice, still staring at Artemis with a dazed face as she moved about the kitchen.

Artemis snorted at the question. "I'm Artemis. Or did you forget that you nearly fought for two Cullen children all those years ago?"

"I was going to kill you at first," he mumbled, making Artemis frown.

"Yeah, I remember that- Hey, why do you smell so good?" she suddenly asked, twitching her nose.

"Wait- what? Good!? Did you just say good?!" Jake asked incredulously.

Artemis nodded. "His scent doesn't resemble a stink bomb like you, Stinkbomb," she smirked. "He smells like... Cookies... And like the earth after it rains," she mumbled, closing her eyes for a second.

Renesmee hid her smile behind her hand. "I knew I shouldn't have stopped at five," she muttered with a small grin.

Artemis snorted. "Whatever, we'll discuss it some other time. I've got somewhere to be-"

"Where?" Paul suddenly asked, brow furrowed and donning a defensive stance.

Artemis gave him a wierd look. "Um, none of your business, Person-I-just-met." She dashed up to her room and grabbed her burgandy towel and a black tote bag, dashing back downstairs to grab her blood bottles.

"Alright, see ya, Nessie," she called, opening the front door and ignoring the intense look of protective possessiveness from Paul. "Oh, and, uh, when Edward comes back, try not to think about that um...conversation we had at school today? I don't need more problems with your parents this week."

Renesmee gave a half-smile. "I'll try," she promised, bidding her sister a goodbye before Artemis dashed to her car and sped off to La Push beach.

"I can't believe you imprinted on her," Renesmee heard her mate mumble as she watched Artemis speed off from the french floor-to-ceiling windows, her sister completely oblivious to what had just occurred.


	6. Dive, Dive, Dive!

Artemis' car rumbled to a stop at the treaty line. Just because the real alpha was imprinted on her sister, didn't mean Artemis and the rest of the family were allowed to cross freely.

A shirtless man ran out of the edge of the woods, bounding up to Artemis' open window were she was pinching her nose. "Hey, Embry," she said nasally.

"Artemis," he greeted with a smirk, leaning in closer so his stench made her eyes water. "Where ya headed?"

"The beach-"

"Don't you have a beach on your side?"

"I'm meeting up with some friends down at yours," she continued with a glare.

"Ohh," he smirked, having already found out about the whole Paul imprinting thing when Paul phased in order to run after her. "Are these friends... guys, by any chance?"

She frowned. "What's it to you?"

"Oh, you know, just watching out for the Cullen kids..."

"I'm physically not that much younger than you. I'll be like twenty-three in two years and stay like that forever- And, since when do you care?"

Embry shrugged. "Come on... I'm just wondering..."

She sighed. "Yes, some are guys."

"Oooh... Are they cute?"

"Yes, they're good-looking..."

"You got your eyes on one of them?"

"Yes, I think I d- Why am I telling you this!? I'm going to be late!" She revved up her engine.

Embry gave a hearty laugh, stepping back from her car. "I'm that easy to talk to. See ya around, Artemis!" he called after her as she sped off towards the beach.

A growl came from the trees, making Embry laugh once more before running off to continue his patrol.

* * *

"Artemis!"

She looked over to see Jace waving her down as she stepped out of her car. She gave a smile and a wave, grabbing her tote bag and walking over to her friends.

"Glad you could make it," he grinned, jogging over to give her hug, pulling her into his shirtless frame.

Artemis closed her eyes, trying not to zone in on his beating heart or the pulse beating in his bare neck... "Hi," she mumbled near breathlessly.

Jace pulled back with a smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her over to the group. Rick and Mark were playing some catch with a football, showing off their physique in their low-hanging trunks. Jonesy sat quitely in a two piece, a thin cover up reaching her knees as she read a book. Sara sat beside her, donning the same type of beach wear, watching the twins' muscle movement and snapping a few scenic shots on a modern Polaroid.

Artemis glanced towards Jace as they approached, noticing how low his trunks hung on his narrow hips. He wasn't especially ripped like the twins but he was well-defined for his lean frame.

"Hi Artemis!" Sara called with a wave, the others following suit. She dug around her striped beach bag, pulling out a black and grey two-piece with a thin white cover up. "Here, I brought you these; you can have them if they fit you," she added with a smile.

Artemis nodded gratefully, excusing herself to the public restrooms to change. She sipped on her first blood bottle as she stepped out of the bathrooms, a light breeze billowing her cover up. Her nose caught a sweet scent in the air but before she could think more on it, Jace was giving her a wolf-whistle.

"Wow, you look- I mean- woah!" He ran a hand through his wild hair, giving her an awe-filled grin.

Artemis blushed. "Thanks... I kinda need a day at the beach- I'm getting pale.

Jace barked a laugh. "Tell me about it! There isn't much sun on this beach but it should be enough to put a little color on ya."

Joining the others, they spent their time playing catch and building sand castles, both things which Artemis excelled greatly at. The sun came out a bit more and the odd group of teens moved into the water, Rick and Mark each forcibly carrying Jonesy and Sara into the cold water. Jace held Artemis' hand tightly as they waded through the waves after them, laughing at the girls' hysterics.

"Can you swim?" Jace asked.

"Yeah, a little," Artemis responded, grip tightening by the smallest fraction on his hand.

Jace chuckled. "It's okay, Artemis. I've got you..." His eyes took on a fond look and Artemis gazed back in awe. The only look that even resembled his, she got from her mom and dad. To see a look like that on someone else was so... Intense... Refreshing.

They waded past the others, water rising to Artemis' chin and to Jace's chest. Artemis gave a nervous laugh, her feet slipping on the sand and her hand crawling up his arm to grip his shoulder tightly.

Jace chuckled softly, planting his feet firmly in the sand and stiffening against the waves. His arm snaked around Artemis waist, lifting her out of the water a little so she could calm down with the waves at her chest. Artemis had discarded her cover up at the shore, making Jace gulp as she pressed her bare skin against his, arms wrapping around his neck.

"You scared?," he mumbled, gulping when her leg rose up around his waist.

"A bit," she muttered. "I've never been this deep in a body of water before. I've mostly stuck to shallow rivers."

Jace smiled, brushing some red strands out of her face. "It's okay, I've got you. I won't let you drown."

She smiled fondly at him. "I know..."

The sound of the waves around them, and their friends' distant laughter, faded out. For once, Artemis could concentrate on his heartbeat without wanting to tear out his throat. Her breath sped up a bit as he started to lean in, eyes hooded, and Artemis doing the same.

A broken howl sounded in the distance as their lips touched, brushing lightly together, Jace's bottom lip slipping between her own. His hand tangled into her wet hair and hers gripped the back of his neck. She felt warm- like when she ran out of blood- but instead of craving his blood, she craved his touch.

Just then, a big wave came, knocking them both over and interrupting the kiss as they pushed themselves above the waves again. Artemis let out a hearty laugh, Jace following suit as he took her hand and led back towards the shore. Their friends oooh'ed as Jace gave her another kiss, chaste and sweet and making Artemis grin.

"Guys! Let's go cliff-diving!" Mark suggested excitedly, Rick giving a laugh of agreement.

"Mark that's dangerous!" Sara cried, worry shrouding her face.

"Yeah, you don't wanna get caught under the waves," Jonesy added, drying her skin with a purple towel and putting her cover up back on- much to Rick's disappointment.

"Come on, the waves are calm today! Which is why I suggested it. Yeah?"

Jace chuckled. "Let's dive guys."

The twins cheered, packing up their things and throwing them into their Jeep along with the girls'. Artemis grabbed her tote bag, sipping from her blood bottle again.

"Where's the path to the cliffs?" she asked, having never been on this side of the treaty line.

"Down by the far right side of the beach," Rick answered, kneeling for Jonesy to hop on his back, Mark doing the same for Sara, who gratefully accepted.

"You don't have to dive if you don't want to," Jace told her, tossing his pack into the Jeep as well.

Artemis smiled. "I know, but I've always wanted to try."

"Well," Jace drawled, following the others towards the path. "If you do decide to jump, I'll go with you. I don't wanna risk you getting hurt..."

Artemis smiled, pressing her lips to his in a chaste kiss. "Thank you."

He blushed, and there was another broken howl.

The walk up the path was a short one, with Artemis taking sips from her bottle and trying to ignore the sweet scent in the air that seemed to be following them. At the end of the path, at the top of the cliff, Artemis was stunned by the view. The sun hung low over the sea, casting lights of pink and orange hues, giving the ocean a scenic glow.

"It's beautiful," she praised, looking over the edge to the waves crashing on the rocks.

"Yeah, it is." She turned to see Jace staring at her with a satisfied smirk and she laughed.

"That was so cliché!" He laughed and she shoved him a little as the twins set down the girls.

"Alright! I'm going first!" Mark declared, hands on his hips and striking poses for Sara to take pictures of.

"Be careful, Mark," she warned, shaking out the Polaroid pictures and placing them in Artemis' bag.

"I will," he responded like a moody teenager would to their mother. "Alright!" He backed up, grinning excitedly, before running towards the edge. "Here I _go_!"

His cry faded as he plummeted towards the water, spinning one or twice before straightening like a board with his arms extended before him, launching into the water below. The water splashed as he slipped into it, the waves swallowing him whole and everyone waiting in apprehension for him to pop up again. His brown head of hair emerged seconds later, giving a whoop loud enough to reach them at the top of the cliff. The group cheered, jumping around and giving whoop's of their own.

" _My_ turn!" Rick backed up a good ways before running towards the edge as well, following his brother's example and doing a couple flips before launching into the water. He recieved the same response when his head rose out of the waves and he swam to his brother back on the beach.

" _I'm_ up!" Jonesy cheered, getting a surprised look from Artemis as she removed her cover up. "What?" she asked with a grin.

" _Jonesy_ \- the girl who was just hours ago, reading a _book_ at the beach- wants to dive off a _cliff_?" Artemis asked incredulously.

Jace and Sara laughed. "She's kind of an adrenaline junky," Jace explained.

"Yeah, it's the only time she feels alive- like she's actually a normal girl," Sara teased, earning Jonesy's cover up to be thrown at her face.

Sara laughed as Jonesy jumped, snapping a quick photo before she plummeted below. The twins whooped as they watched her fall, body moving gracefully. She swam safely back to shore after emerging from the waves, Rick lifting her out of the water and spinning her around with a whoop.

"We're next," Artemis muttered with a nervous smile.

Jace placed a hand on the small of her back. "You don't have to jump-"

"I know," she explained. "But I want to. I want to feel that rush- like Jonesy."

Sara laughed. "Another junky!"

Artemis grinned, nodding to Jace's instructions on how to hit the water.

"Ready?" he asked, gripping her hand.

" _Ready_."

They ran towards the edge, hand in hand, and jumped.

Artemis could hear Sara's camera snapping a picture, her friends cheering on the shore, the wind rushing past her ears, and the waves splashing below. Letting go of Jace's hand, she flipped once before hitting the water, 'like superman', Jace had told her. Water sloshed around her, filling her senses as she calmly pushed herself above the water. Jace emerged to the left of her, farther away than she would've prefer.

"Artemis!" he called. "Swim towards me!" She nodded, taking deep breaths and calmly doggy paddling towards him.

She didn't get far.

A wave, just as big as the one that interrupted her kiss, splashed onto her, forcing her under the water. The current beneath the waves dragged her farther away from the shore, shoving her into the rocks at the cliff base. She gave a muffled shout as her side was jabbed by the rocks roughly. Her half human lungs spasming for precious air.

Above the water, Jace was frantically calling for her. "Artemis!"

"Jace! I can't see her!" Sara screamed from the clifftop.

" _Artemis_!" he yelled desperately.

Sara quickly gathered Artemis' things, looking over the edge once more. " _Over there!_ " Pointing farther away from the shore, where a red tint was visible through the waves.

Suddenly, she heard a deep growl, followed by muffled groans before a tall, well-built man ran out of the edge of the woods, wearing nothing but a pair of low-hanging cut-off shorts. He ran past a startled Sara, jumping off the edge.

" _Artemis_!" Jace cried desperately, watching an unknown figure dive into the water.

" _ **Artemis**_!"


	7. Super-Mutt

Even though Artemis was more Immortal than her twin, she was still half human. And it was that half human-ness that had her gasping for air as her face peeked above the waves before being dragged down again. Even though she could hold her breath longer than the average human, she knew she could still drown, so she desperately tried to breach the surface. Water rushed into her lungs as she tried to call out for help. It was freezing cold but burning hot at the same time and she cried out even more beneath the waves. The current shifted and she was bashed into the rocks again, this time screaming out as a jagged rock sliced her side, the salt of the water burning the cut. She gripped her side, a lightheaded feeling coming to her.

Sara quickly gathered Artemis' things, looking over the edge once more. "Over there!" Pointing farther away from the shore, where a red tint was visible through the waves.

Artemis heard a muffled splash, opening her eyes to see a blurry figure coming towards her, black spots overcoming her sight before she passed out as she was pulled out of the waves.

Paul didn't think twice about diving into the water- he had to save her! That idiot boy went into the water with her and allowed her to get dragged under the waves. She was drowning because of him- when he got a chance Paul was gonna break his pretty boy face.

Slicing through the water, his enhanced eyes quickly spotted her- and the blood spewing from her side. She had turned towards him, looking deathly pale with a look of relief when she laid eyes on him. His heart swelled at knowing he was behind that relief, that he was the one that was going to save her.

Quickly scooping her into his arms, his strong legs propelled them above the waves, Artemis head lolling on his shoulder.

"Artemis!" the boy called again, his voice grating on Paul's ears.

He held Artemis tight with one arm, using the other to swim towards the shore, completely passing the boy and his friends as he ran onto the sand, laying her down gently.

"Artemis!" the boy cried again, him and his friends coming to stand around Paul and the unconscious Artemis. "Is she okay!? She's bleeding!"

"It must have happened on the rocks," Paul muttered, lifting the now stained, white cover up she hadn't taken off before jumping. The girl who ran down from the cliff path gasped loudly at the sight of the jagged cut on Artemis' side. Paul continued to lift the cover up off his imprint's body, wringing it out before tying it around her torso to put pressure on the wound.

He leaned in close, pressing two fingers into the side of her neck and listening for any sign breathing. He knew vampires didnt necessarily need to breathe, so he couldn't tell if she wasn't by choice or if her lungs were just so full of water that she couldn't. But he decided not to take that chance with her, especially since he could barely feel a pulse in her.

"She's not breathing," he muttered to her friends, pushing his hands onto her chest three times before pinching her nose and pressing his mouth to hers, forcing his breath into her lungs. He repeated the process several times, each time it didn't work, a little more fear gripped his heart.

I just found you- I'm not gonna lose you before I've had you.

He forced air into her once more, pushing at her chest desperately before she gave a gurgled gasp, water spewing from her mouth and running down her face and neck. Paul gave a sigh of relief, lifting her upper body from the sand, brushing her wet red hair from her face. Her friends gasping and calling her name in relief.

Artemis felt warm liquid spilling uncontrollably from her mouth, cold air burning her throat as it filled her lungs- but she couldn't appreciate it more. She felt really warm hands smoothing her hair from her face and wiping the excess water away. She groggily opened her eyes, feeling like a complete corpse as her eyes settled on the handsomely tan face of the wolf who had been in her kitchen. He held a face of relief, pulling her upwards into a warm embrace.

Tears sprung to her eyes, arms weakly wrapping around his neck, inhaling his strange sweet scent.

"Are you okay?" Paul muttered into her ear, breath warming her cold skin.

"Blood," she said in a ragged whisper. "Need... Blood..." Tears ran down her face, hands clawing into his back so she wouldn't tear into the necks of her friends.

Paul looked around to her friends, spotting the black tote bag she had before leaving the Cullen's house. "Is that hers?" he asked the blonde girl.

"Yeah," she responded. "Why?"

"Give it here." He took the bag from her extended hand and rifled through it with one hand, keeping the other wrapped around Artemis' shivering frame.

"Artemis..." Jace extended a hand, attempting to touch her arm.

"Get away from her!" Paul snarled, his face contorted in anger and smacking the pale boy's hand away.

"Hey! You don't even know her!" One of the twin boys yelled.

"Paul," Artemis moaned in agony, loud enough for the others to hear and for Paul to give the boys a satisfied smirk.

He finally got hold of one her bottles of blood, finding it empty he tossed it aside and grabbed the other one, pushing up the spout. "Ssh, here- I've got it."

Artemis slowly pulled away from him, just enough for him to press the spout to her lips. She took greedy gulps from it, savoring the coppery taste, but careful not to let any slip out of the corners of her mouth.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Jace asked, running a hand through his hair.

Paul grunted. "She will be."

Artemis finished the bottle, muttering, "More... Paul, I need more..."

"Where's her car," he asked, putting the bottles back in her bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Over there," the brown-haired girl answered, pointing to the black Dodge Challenger that gleamed in the low light of the setting sun.

He grunted in response, easily scooping Artemis up and walking towards it.

"Wait! Where are you taking her!?" Jace called, suspicious.

"To her house," Paul growled back. "Her grandfather's a doctor."

The group of friends sighed, feeling helpless that they could do nothing for their friend.

Paul stood at the passenger side door, carefully setting down Artemis' legs, holding her up. "Artemis, I need you to stand for a bit- can you do that for me? Artemis?"

She blearily nodded, head lolling a bit since she still felt lightheaded. Paul leant her against the car, quickly searching her bag for her keys and towel. He opened the car door and laid the passenger seat down, splaying her towel over it and tossing her bag in the back. Artemis gave a delirious moan as she pressed her hand into her injured side, Paul pulling out of her car to check on her.

His hands grasped her face gently, Artemis sighing at the warmth. "Artemis, are you okay? Hey, look at me- Are you okay?"

She nodded blearily, eyes drooping and breathing heavily. "Blood, Paul... Need it..."

He grunted, picking her up again and laying her on the seat, putting the seatbelt on her for good measure before closing the door. He rushed to the driver's side, giving her friends a glare as he slid into the car, starting the engine and racing out of the parking lot.

They arrived at the Cullen house in record time, Artemis filling the silence of the drive with desperate moans for blood. Paul quickly got Artemis out of the car, holding her carefully, he walked up the front steps.

Inside the house, it was dark, the lights having been quickly shut off when they heard the Hemi pull up the driveway. Streamers hung from the ceiling, balloons floating around the corners of the living room, the Cullen family- along with Emmett and Rosalie- waiting inside. Artemis' sister and parents had planned a surprise party, her parents coming home early from their honeymoon just for the occasion.

Imagine _their_ surprise when Paul busted through the front door, calling desperately for Carlisle, with a near unconscious Artemis protectively in his arms.

" ** _Artemis_**!" Emmett, Rosalie, and Renesmee cried, rushing towards Paul.

"She needs blood!" Paul cried. "Hurry!"

Renesmee dashed into the kitchen, grabbing two blood bags from the fridge back panel. Dashing back into the living room, she opened the bag's tube, handing it to Paul, who had placed Artemis on the couch. He gently eased the tube between Artemis' lips and squeezed the bag, Artemis drinking heavily. In no time, Artemis drank through three bags before regaining some color in her face.

"She's bleeding," Paul pointed out to the others. "She needs stitches."

Carlisle nodded, instructing him to pick her up and place her on the table in the kitchen. He left the room and returned with various medical supplies to stitch her up. Artemis cried out at the pull she felt when they removed the cover up wrapped around her torso.

"What happened!?" Emmett growled, grabbing Paul by the biceps when Carlisle got to work on his daughter.

"She went to the reservation beach with a group of idiots," he growled back. "They got her to go cliff-diving and she got hurt beneath the waves. I rescued her."

Emmett heavied a heavy sigh, hand pinching the bridge of his nose. "Thank you," he muttered. "Thank you."

Paul nodded, and Emmett let go, embracing his mate who was close to tears. "Oh my God," she whispered brokenly, "She could've died."

The rest of the family watched on, stunned. Alice wondering why she didn't see the event happen beforehand; Edward wondering the same.

"Paul was there the entire time," Edward explained to her. "You couldn't see past him. It's not your fault." Alice nodded almost dejectedly.

Paul's heart ached, hearing Artemis' little whimpers from the needle threading her skin. He couldn't get her desperate moans out of his head, the pain they were laced with emitting to him. He ran a hand through his slightly damp hair, sighing and slumping on the couch.

A small hand landed on his shoulder, Paul looking over to see Renesmee sitting beside him with a grateful smile. "She'll be fine," she reassured. "You saved her- and besides, she's tougher than she looks. She probably only got this hurt because she wasn't sipping her blood bottle often around the humans. She's chugged three bags now, she'll be fine in a few hours." Renesmee smiled, patting his shoulder before getting up, returning with a towel and pair of Jacob's back up shorts. "Here- you're getting bloodied water everywhere."

Paul glanced down at himself, blood smudged on his abdomen and red tinted water pooling at his feet. He nodded and trudged into the Cullen's restroom, dropping his wet shorts, drying off and pulling on Jake's shorts. They fit nicely, a bit tight in the front but the looseness in the back made up for it.

Just as he trudged back out to the living, room after wiping the blood off himself, he heard a raspy voice speak.

"Paul... Where is he?" Artemis.

"Right here," he called, stepping into the kitchen, Carlisle leaving the room. "How you holdin' up?"

Artemis swallowed, licking her dry lips. "Better now, thanks to you," she praised.

Paul smiled, standing at her side. Her hand shifted onto his, giving it a light squeeze.

"Not that I'm not grateful or anything but, why did you save me?"

Paul frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

Artemis chuckled. "Well, seeing as how out very first conversation consisted of you stealing from me and me calling you an asshole-"

"Son of a bitch, actually," he corrected with a grin.

She barked a breathy laugh. "You get my point! So why?"

Paul sighed, wiping a hand down his face. "Do you really wanna know? The truth?"

"Would _love_ to," she nodded.

He mentally prepared himself before blurting,

" _You're my imprint._ "


	8. The Gods Must Be Crazy

" ** _What!?_** " Emmett roared, dashing into the kitchen, having heard the whole conversation.

Artemis passed out as the rest of the family dashed into the kitchen as well, some with surprised looks, others with smirks on their faces. Paul gulped.

"What did you just say?" Rosalie growled, stalking forth.

"She's... My imprint," Paul repeated carefully.

Renesmee gave a small squeal, startling everyone as she ran towards him, engulfing him in an awkward hug. "Welcome to the family!" she cheered, pulling back.

"What!? No!" Emmett roared. "She can't be-! You can't-!" Rosalie patted his back comfortingly.

Paul sighed. "It wasn't my choice- these things just happen." He looked down at Artemis' unconscious frame, hand twirling a strand of red hair between his fingers.

"How did this happen? You've never met before- how did you know she was your imprint?" Rosalie spoke up.

"I just met her today- before she went to the reservation beach. It wasn't the best of introductions- I want to rip a limb off of her for what she said - but the moment her eyes met mine, she went from being everything I hated, to everything I couldn't live without." He gave a mirthless chuckle. "She didn't even know- just pointed out that I didn't I stink like the others."

Emmett sighed; there was nothing he could do. Bella had tried to fight Jacob's imprint on Renesmee and it yielded no results- so she let them be. And like Paul said, these things just happen. "How did she take it?" Emmett asked.

Paul swallowed, looking at Artemis' calm face. "She passed out..."

Rosalie laughed.

Artemis' awoke to birds chirping and a sweet scent in the air. An odd warmth engulfed her left hand and a dull ache sprouted from her right side. A groan escaped her, her back arching slightly and the warmth on her hand slipping away as she raised her arms in a stretch. Her yawn was replaced with a sudden groan of pain when she stretched her torso, the odd warmth returning, landing gently on her side. Her eyes cracked open slowly, hissing as her retinas adjusted to the light. Blinking sluggishly, she looked over to the source of the odd warmth: Paul.

"Paul- what are doing in my room?" she sluggishly asked.

He smirked. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what-? Oh gods- we didn't have hot, nasty hate sex after what happened in the kitchen right!?" She quickly and painfully sat up, staring at him with wide-eyes and searching the room for torn clothes.

Paul gave a hearty laugh, shaking his head. "No! God no... _If it was hate sex I'd've torn you in half_ ," he mumbled, more to himself than to her.

"Wha!?" she breathed, a heat crawling on her cheeks.

"Nothing!" he quickly responded. "Uh, do you want me to... Tell you everything?"

She nodded slowly, eyes still wide and staring. He couldn't help but stare right back, his chocolate brown eyes getting lost in her inky blue ones. Her pinkish lips were swollen from biting them out of pain, her eyes wide but still slightly hooded in drowsiness.

"You went to the beach, remember? With your friends? I think one of them was named Jace." He frowned, imagining tearing the boy apart in his wolf form.

Artemis gasped. "Holy shit! Is he okay? I remember diving with him! Is he okay? Did he get pulled under, too!?"

"He's fine," Paul growled, earning a startled look from Artemis. "I'm sorry- look- you were dragged under, hurt yourself on the rocks beneath the waves. I heard them screaming for you, so I dove in; I rescued you. Gave you chest compressions- CPR- blood- the works, but you needed more so I used your car to get you back here. Carlisle stitched you up and I fed you more blood bags."

Artemis laid om her bed staring at the ceiling, shocked that that occured to her and amazed this man had saved her. "Why did you save me?" she mumbled.

He gave a mirthless chuckle. "You've asked me that already. I told you why."

Artemis' brow furrowed, looking at him. "But I don't remember," she pointed out. "Tell me."

He huffed, looking around her slightly messy room. The blood stained beach clothes she had wore, hanging from a hamper in the corner of the room. Rosalie and Renesmee having changed her after she passed out and was moved to her room. "Not again, come on, Artemis," he mumbled, not looking at her.

"What? Is it that bad a reason? Or is it that good reason? Which is it?"

He sighed, hand running down his face. "You have to promise not to pass out like last time-"

"I passed out!? Was it that good!?" Artemis looked to him with bewildered eyes.

"Apparently," he mumbled.

She chuckled breathlessly. "I promise."

He mentally prepared himself, clenching his eyes shut. "I saved you...because... Because... _You're my imprint,_ " he blurted.

He waited what felt like hours for a response but could only have been seconds.

"What!?" she screamed, dashing out of her bed so fast she hit her left side on her bedroom wall.

Paul frowned, looking at where she stood, leaning against the wall. "Is it that bad to be imprinted on me? Your mom and dad reacted the same way."

"They know!?" she squeaked, sliding down the way a bit.

"Yes," he growled. "Now get back in the bed, you're still recovering."

"I can't believe- You're my-? No way! That can't be- You can't- No!" In plain speak, she was freaking out.

"Look, I didn't exactly choose you either! You think I want to be imprinted with a leech!" he growled, a grunt escaping him when he was tackled to the ground.

"Don't call me that!" she snarled, slender hand wrapped around his throat, the other keeping his head down with a tight grip on his hair.

"Get off me!" he yelled, his body shaking slightly.

Artemis' thighs tightened around his biceps, that lay trapped, pressed against his sides. "Apologize!"

"Make me!" he growled, shaking uncontrollably. His arms bent and his hands gripped the back of her large night shirt to throw her off him.

Artemis cried out as she landed, hands clawing in into the wooden floor. She barely heard her dad bursting in before Paul phased right in her room and Artemis launched herself at him. Their stuggling bodies fell through her floor-to-ceiling windows to the forest below. Their bodies rolled down the forest floor, Paul's claws barely missing her arms and face. His pack's thoughts berating his mind, telling him to stop, but he didn't listen, no Alpha's command present to control him.

Artemis could hear her family yelling out to them, some of them searching for an opportunity to seperate them without harming her. But Artemis was furious- angry that her own imprint called her a leech- angry that she had an imprint in the first place! She didn't let up, hands grasping Paul's fur tightly, using all her strength to slam him against a tree.

He gave a low whimper, sagging a bit before his paws pushed against her shoulders, claws digging into her. She gave a shrill cry, throwing him aside and arms crossing to touch her bleeding shoulder blades. Paul snarled as he rolled back onto all fours, snout snapping to look at her with a growl- but it cut short as he caught sight of her.

Her family had ran into to the woods behind them, stopping just short of where she was. Artemis knelt on her bare knees, black shorts torn and white graphic tee in tatters. Her stitches had slipt, blood running down her side and back drenched with blood as well from where he'd ripped into her. She was screaming almost hysterically, cries of pain mixed with snarls of anger.

Paul looked down at his bloody paws in shock. He'd hurt his imprint, torn into her like a rag doll. His form slowly began to shrink and he backed away amongst the trees. He found a hidden cache of the pack's extra clothes and pulled on a pair of cut-offs when his reverting finished. Buttoning the shorts he ran back out to them, Emmett dashing to throw him back.

"Stay away from her!" her father growled, Rosalie coming to Artemis' side.

"Let me touch her," Paul panted helplessly, heart clenched so tight he thought he'd drop dead. "Please- _Artemis_! I'm sorry! _**Artemis**_!"

* * *

Paul's eyes opened, a blue glow stinging his retinas before he met Artemis' hardened eyes, and the blue glow receeded.

"Apologize," she growled, hand tightening in his hair.

"What was that?" he breathed, arms bending and hands resting on her back.

"A trick I picked up from Alice and Renesmee," she muttered. "I can never see what I'm showing someone, but by your facial expression, I'm guessing whatever happens doesn't work out for you." She smirked, eyes darkening. "Now, apologize!"

His brow furrowed. "For what?! For being your imprint?"

"No! For calling me a leech! You know how hard it is not to sink your teeth into a human?"

"Apparently not hard enough if you can make out with one," he muttered darkly.

Artemis' eyes widened in confusion, her grip loosening enough for Paul's hands to clench the back of her shirt and drag her back until she straddled his lap and he could sit up. "You were watching me?" she questioned, hands gripping the worn shirt he had on.

He huffed. "You're my imprint-"

"That doesn't give you the right to spy on me!" she cried.

"Yes it does!" he yelled back, hands gripping her slender upper arms. "I didn't know where you were going! You're my everything now, Artemis- if something were to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself for allowing it to happen!"

"But- Paul-"

"But nothing! Yes, I looked out for you! Yes, I saw you kiss that sorry excuse for a boy- But I also saw you jump with him. And I stupidly thought you would be okay- until it was too late." His hand drifted to her injured side. "Having you passed out in my arms- bleeding and not breathing- I felt like my heart was being torn out of me mid heartbeat-!"

"But Paul!" Artemis cried. "You don't know me! The first conversation we had was a fight- and you're already professing undying feelings for me!"

"It doesn't matter, Artemis," he reassured, hands tangling into her hair. "Nothing else matters, but you now- you need to understand that. The imprint only happens with a compatible person-"

"Which I can't be-!"

"Obviously you are, Artemis. Because of the imprint, you're the only thing that matters to me in this world now. Nothing can come before you and your safety."

Artemis sighed, eyes closing. This was too much! Here was this man, probably in his mid-twenties, basically telling her that he would do anything for her! How was she supposed to respond!? She'd never met him before- only heard stories from Renesmee how he was the most violent of the pack. Not to mention that she was basically already involved with someone else- she kissed Jace! Yet here she was: sitting in this man's lap, with his hands in her hair, and not being to help the warmth that pulsed within her. She couldn't deny the feeling of completeness that settled in her heart and mind. What was she going to tell Jace? What was she supposed to say to Paul?

"Why-" she breathed, hands still clutching his shirt. "Why do you smell so good?" she whined, eyes clenched shut, trying to understand her feelings.

Paul smiled, giving a breathless laugh. "I don't know. But the imprint should have to do with it. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be bound with a smelly wolf for the rest of your life."

Artemis chuckled. "I guess not... Paul... I can't wrap my head around this," she whimpered.

"I know- I know," he comforted, pressing her into his chest. "I'll help you figure this out. I'll always be by your side."

Artemis sighed, feeling Paul shiver slightly as her cold breath fanned over his neck, her hand sliding up to curl around his neck.

"Was that boy your first kiss?" he asked, suppressing a growl.

Artemis nodded, sighing just to feel him shiver again.

"Was he any good?" his voice took on a low tone, and more heat filled her.

"I can't exactly tell," she whispered. "I've only ever kissed him..." She pulled back, licking her dry lips as she met his dark eyes.

"Well, now, I'm the only one you'll ever kiss-" His lips pressed against her's passionately, her bottom lip slipping between his own.

Artemis sighed against him, arms sliding around his neck. Her chest pressed against his, his arms tightly around her waist but mindful of her hurt side. He tugged on her bottom lip, licking at it to coax her mouth open. Artemis let out a breathy moan when his tongue made contact with her's, the sensation so foreign to her. His scent was as intoxicating as his lips- she left like she was drowning all over again- like she was dying for blood and she craved nothing more than him.

His warm hand slid along her thigh, squeezing the supple flesh and climbing higher, beneath her shirt. She moaned at his intense warmth on her hip, his touch almost scalding but soothing to her cool flesh. She gripped his neck and hair tight, his hand smoothing over her ribs to rest just under her unbound breast. Artemis moaned quietly, pressing tighter to his torso and unintentionally grinding into his lap.

Paul groaned at the friction, hand slipping farther up and cupping her perky breast. His thumb rolled over her nipple and she whimpered.

"Paul," she breathed against his swollen lips, speaking between kisses. "Wait... Please..."

She didn't need to tell him twice. His hand smoothly slid out from under her shirt, coming to rest at the small of her back. Her hands loosened around him and his kisses slowed to a stop. His hooded eyes gazed at her flushed face, taking in the slight sparkle the morning sun gave her.

"How was that?" he breathed, toned chest rising and falling evenly against her heaving one.

She gave a breathless chuckle. "I think the gods did pretty alright matching us."

She gave him a beaming smile, laughing as he returned a smug grin. He stood with her in his arms and set her on the bed, sitting beside her, holding her hands.

"Hey," she mumbled, playing with his hand and measure it with her own. "How long was I out?"

He hummed. "I think about... Two days- today being the third."

Seconds passed.

" _ **What!?**_ "

* * *

 ***Have you guys seen that movie? The Gods Must Be Crazy? It's old but it's hilarious. ?**

 **|| I know there interactions may not be believable or even really cheesy, but you have to understand that the imprint makes them that way. Deep down inside they may hate each other but they're each other's world now, and that's all that matters...for now... ||**


End file.
